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The Rules: Surviving the Holiday Season as a New Couple

The holidays can feel overwhelming when they arrive a few months into a new relationship. Follow these rules to get through them without hurt feelings or breakup talk (12 Photos)

Norine Dworkin-McDaniel on Dec 13, 2011 at 9:51AM

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The Rules: Surviving the Holiday Season as a New Couple

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Cut Yourself a Huge Slice of Perspective

Not to go all Bah Humbug!, but ‘tis the season to be stressed out -- and that’s before you add in the outsized expectations of spending this most wonderful time of the year with the new man in your life. Nothing puts pressure on a new couple like navigating the holiday season. There are family dynamics to contend with, gifts to consider, and travel plans that can go awry. Remember this is a new relationship so don’t get wrapped up in what any one moment means for the two of you. “Your first holiday season together does not define you as a couple by any stretch,” says Yahoo Health’s mental health expert Rob Dobrenski, Ph.D., author of Crazy: Notes On and Off the Couch. “Expect some road bumps and snafus. Then, if they don’t happen, you’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

Check out these celeb couples celebrating the holidays together for the first time, and vote if you think their relationship will survive into 2013